Nila House launches textile exhibition ‘Stories of Healing in Cloth’

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Mar 15, 2022

Textiles institute Nila House in Jaipur has launched new exhibition ‘Stories of Healing in Cloth’, led by textile artists Dia Mehta Bhupal and Sana Rezwan, to share generational experiences through the creative expression of art.

On March 9, Nila House launched a textile exhibition to showcase traditional craft techniques from Rajasthan whilst telling stories of regeneration, growth, and harmony, Nila House announced on Instagram. The exhibition comprises a patchwork made from 15-inch textile squares handmade by over 200 artisans in Rajasthan. 
 
Craftspeople were invited to create a square based on the themes of ‘Nature’ and ‘Rhythm’. The squares feature traditional textile techniques including dhabu mud-resist printing, kantha and tagai stitch, appliqué and ralli embroidery, and hand block printing, among others. 

Nila House is run by textile specialist Carole Bamford in Jaipur and it is dedicated to showcasing and preserving indigo textile techniques. The institute’s latest exhibition is in collaboration with New York-based creative consultancy The Art Lab Studio and the showcase will run until June 30. 
 
“The Nila Corona Quilt aims to bring a special focus on the potential for collective catharsis through creative expression using crafts that are an organic, everyday part of life in India,” said curator Mehta Bhupal, who had created a previous ‘Corona Quilt’ last year, Vogue India reported. 
 
“The artwork, made up of individual squares from artisans across India, also celebrates the vast and historically deep textile-based craft ecosystems that were made particularly vulnerable during the 2020 global pandemic, yet remained resilient and sustained through community-focused initiatives,” said Mehta Bhupal.

“The artwork developed through this project emphasises the abundant capacity for community healing through creative expression and ancient knowledge systems that remain at the core of traditional crafts.”